I searched around for a good place to sit and decided on an old stuffy armchair by the fireplace facing the doors. I dropped my backpack on the ground and let the weight of my body pull me down on the cushions. I lost myself in the beauty of firelight while waiting for Professor Andrews to arrive.
I don’t know how long I’d been staring at the fire when a loud creaking by the library front door pulled me back to the present.
Making a grand entrance to her detention was Taylor Van De Camp, class socialite, Thurgood Prep School Celebrity A-Lister, cheerleading captain, the resident “it” girl. She was talking in a very loud voice to a bunch of her friends following her wake. Taylor was the quintessential Disney-esque princess with long, flowing, chestnut brown hair, light blue eyes, just a tad heavier than scrawny. But her popularity as a “most-likely-to-become-a-model” or “Hollywood movie star” status was only surpassed by her fame as an exceptional gymnast. When she performed, she does so with such grace and agility that she seemed to float on air.
I couldn’t help but look up when Taylor started complaining about her current predicament to everyone behind her and anyone else within earshot, “How I got detention, I don’t know. I mean, shouldn’t we be pushing to be the best we can be? It was just one somersault and no one got hurt. I mean, I am a trained professional. I’ve competed everywhere. I don’t understand why I am not allowed to do that in the cafeteria? Wait till I tell my parents about this.” I had to stifle a sneer.
Taylor must have sensed my reaction and looked directly at me. It was obvious she recognized me but instead of acknowledging it, she flipped her hair as she turned her back away from me. I remembered her from Grayson’s party. She was friendly enough then when she thought I was Grayson’s girlfriend, but not anymore, not since everyone found out about the breakup and more important than that, not since I’ve been branded a person of interest for double homicide.
It stung but I decided to shake it off and look the other way. To my surprise, I realized that sitting at another table was another girl. I didn’t even know when the other girl showed up. She was in full gothic attire including the “once-popular-a-decade-ago” black lipstick that seemed to go very well with the “I-wanna-look-like-I-don’t-care-what-you-think”, side-swiped bangs in neon blue hanging over her heavily made-up eyes. She made quite a striking impression when the light of the fire hit her periwinkle colored eyes; almost like amethysts surrounded by thick black lashes, which I bet you, have got to be fake. No one’s lashes are that thick or that long. The girl was sitting with one hand twirling a pen and another tapping on the table. Her eyes also fixed on the spectacle that was Taylor and her posse chattering away. Unperturbed, she crossed her long legs, pulled her gothic leather-bound journal, and started to write. I went back to staring at the fire to hide my curiosity and amusement.
Well this is going to be an interesting detention. This emo-girl doesn’t look like she’s going to put up with Taylor’s prima donna ways. And there’s plenty of time in a week’s detention for a real drag out fight to happen, I thought.
I was about to pick up my backpack from the floor when I noticed it. There it was: a shimmering halo around the emo-girl. I blinked a couple of times. It was still there. A red and blue shimmer around her. I told myself it must be the fire creating some optical illusions. But in my gut, I knew better. Yet another secret to keep. I didn’t understand what the halos meant but I decided I might learn more if I introduced myself.
“Hi, I’m Abigail Montserrat, what are you in here for?” I asked the emo-girl.
“Hailey, Hailey Goodson. Okay if I call you Monty? Abigail is so ... plain. So let me see: not in uniform, makeup too heavy, hair too blue, attitude too negative, and another thing I actually can’t remember. Don’t bother looking me up in your mental list of who’s-who. I’m here on scholarship. Army brat. I’m not Legacy like you guys,” she said, using her right index finger to draw a line between me and Taylor. Apparently realizing that what she said might be offensive, she quickly stammered, “I just meant I’m not from a rich family, that’s all... You?”
“My parents are rich but I’m not. But they’re, they’re...” I didn’t want to explain so I let the sentence trail off. Besides, I was still trying the name “Monty” in my head.
“I know who you are. You don’t have to explain to me how people jump to conclusions before they can get any proof,” she said in a tone that did not let on any judgment on her part. I exhaled a deep sigh and thought, for the first time today, I found someone who understands. Right away, I felt at ease with this emo girl.
“Me, I lost my temper with Thaddeus the TA,” I added.
“Hah! That’s the other one I can’t remember! Yes, they will fix me of that too.” Hailey smiled a nice, warm, dimpled smile. I thought, underneath all that makeup is a softie.
The door banged open again and both of us looked back to see who was coming in this time. Through the open door, we could hear Professor Andrews from the hallway, saying, “Alright, Miss Van de Camp. Please send your paparazzi away. I will be in in a moment.”
Then Blaise, the captain of the football team, came in. The quintessential quarterback with broad shoulders and blond hair that is always placed over his bright yet mysterious blue-green eyes, with impeccable precesion. He zigzagged his way through the students, walking in the hallway in record speed and went straight to Taylor with a pretend tackle. This made her giggle. She hugged him as he lifted her off the floor. He put her down and placed his arms around her and they had a rather lengthy kiss. After a few moments passed, I realized I was still staring. I looked away, embarrassed. But I wasn’t the only one. Emo-girl rolled her eyes and we both sniggered. Then he said something about detention is heaven as long as he was with her and all her friends started oooing and aaah-ing. She disentangled her lips from his just long enough to say bye to her friends and shoo them off before Professor Andrews entered the room. But they still stood there chattering and giggling at everything Blaise said.
Hailey said, “Football. I hate it. It’s a dumb sport for dumb jocks.”
“You said it. What do you play?” I asked.
“I’m not into any sport at school but at home we play baseball. My dad loves the sport so I learned to hit a ball by the time I was six. He made sure of it. You?”
“Well, this is embarrassing but I was sickly as a child and did not get a chance to participate in any sports.”
Hailey snapped her finger and pointed at me. “Aha! Bookworm then?”
“I like to read but I have dyslexia,” I lied. The truth was I’d gone to so many eye doctors and they couldn’t find anything wrong with me. But people don’t really understand dyslexia so it was easier to say I had it than to admit I could see shimmering people and writhing solid wood boxes. “Makes my head swim to read sometimes. My dad said the only real thing I’m good at is getting everyone to do stuff for me, born leader, he joke...joked...” I didn’t know whether to use past tense or not so I just stopped there.
As if sensing the awkward moment, she said with fake exuberance, “Oh bummer! But don’t worry, you’re not missing much. Reading is over-rated. Seriously, who needs it nowadays hash-tag send pic. Please.”
I rolled my eyes, mimicking her previous one. She laughed a genuine happy laugh.
Back at the library door came a squeaking voice, “May I please pass, Can I please... I need to...”
We both returned our attention to the library entrance. There was a medium height, lanky boy trying to get past Blaise. He had his right arm wrapped tight around his books, shoulder hunched from the weight of his oversized backpack and left hand holding his thick glasses. He was very skinny and trembling from head to toe like a leaf flapping helplessly against a strong gust of wind.
“Yes, nerd, what do you need to do?” Blaise asked as he pulled off the kid’s glasses and blocked him from getting into the library. “You know, K-k-kieran, if
you don’t make it to your detention, you could get expelled!”
“P-p-ardon me, excuse me.” Kieran stuttered in fear as he tried to squeeze past the two. But Blaise was intent on humiliating him.
“Well there’s not enough room here. You’re going to have to squeeze through Taylor and me.” Despite the darkened corridor, I saw Kieran turn a horrible shade of purple from being so embarrassed. But eventually, he squeezed through but not without Blaise tripping him. The kid ended up on Taylor’s chest. Blaise pulled him off and shoved him through the door. Kieran stumbled into the library head first.
Taylor’s friends laughed so hard that they earned another, “Miss Van de Camp, I am warning you. Your friends better not be around when I get there or they will all join you in detention for the whole week!” from Professor Andrews. That apparently did the trick and they left, leaving a trail of teetering laughter.
Hailey shook her head, shrugged, then continued with her writing. I decided to stay out of the fray and continued staring at the fire.
After a few minutes, the door shut behind Professor Andrews. “Alright, everyone be seated,” he announced. “Welcome to your detention. We will be here all of two hours, so get comfortable. I will be grading papers while you will be reviewing your course material and preparing for your next classes. No, Mr. Blaise Alistair, you will be sitting alone in the back with Mr. Kieran Le Fay. Go!” he commanded with a crooked index finger, pointing to the back.
With a lot of grumbling, Blaise disentangled himself from Taylor and moved to the back row with Kieran.
“What are you looking at, female-Menendez!” Blaise burst out in frustration as he walked past me.
That stung like a sonna-ba-B! I’ll get him for that.
CHAPTER 7
The Blasted Detention
The school bell sounded at five o’clock.
I was thinking so far so good, except for that comment from Blaise, this was the first hour out of the day when I was not gawked at, jeered at, yelled at or whispered about. I felt safe with Professor Andrews there.
There was a buzz. Professor Andrews picked up his cell phone.
“Yes. Ok yes. Right away. I’ll be there.”
He hurriedly collected his papers and said, “You have one more hour; take advantage of the time to get prepared for tomorrow. And if you think you are off the hook, think again. All of you will submit to me by midnight a fifteen-hundred-word essay on what you learned from this experience. Understood?” Before anyone could grumble, he said, “Good! I’m glad you agree. If you don’t submit your essay, I will just keep adding days to your detention.” And with that, he rushed out of the room.
“C’mon lets go, Taylor, we don’t need to stay here. Kieran here is going to write our essays for us. Isn’t that right, Kieran?” Blaise said.
Kieran started to stammer, “But, but Professor Andrews said we should stay here.”
“Hello? Professor Andrews is not here!”
The door of the library swung open with a loud bang.
It was not Professor Andrews. It was Dr. McGrath. She was in a state of panic. Her clothes were torn in places and her hair that was a perfect coiffure this morning was now in complete disarray. Her face looked like someone hit her. She rushed through the doors, with a wild look about her. Her head kept snapping back to look behind her while clutching the box protectively under her arm.
“Dr. McGrath? Is everything alright?” I jumped up and asked.
“Quickly, quickly! Abigail, you must open the box. You are all in danger! You must open the box!”
“I can’t! I don’t know how!”
“Yes, you can! You’re the only who can! Listen, you are all in danger here. They are coming! Hooded men...in black robes! And they are shooting anyone in their path.”
Visions of a hooded figure with long sleeves covering his hands shoving a shot glass at me flooded my memory. They drugged me, that’s how come I passed out. Grayson must have caught me when I fainted and taken me upstairs. He took me to safety. I wanted to remember more but the doctor’s voice was insistent to bring me back to the present.
The doctor was still in front of me, pushing the box at me. Her once steady and fearless green eyes were laced with terror. “They have magic! They want whatever is in the box! Abigail! You need to open it or we are all going to die!”
Everybody jumped up and looked at me. I could see that the shock at the doctor’s sudden entrance had materialized into abject terror upon hearing what she said. They were all looking at me for a solution, a solution I did not have.
“Magic? What do you mean magic? Don’t be absurd, there is no such thing.” Hailey’s gaze switched from the doctor then back to me.
I felt the intensity of her scrutinizing eyes drilling through me. “I don’t know how! What do you mean?” I pushed the box away. I was able to muster the sound of disbelief but the alarm bells ringing in my mind and the pounding of my heart told me that somehow, the doctor was telling the truth. The hooded men from my dreams, from my memory, had come for me, again.
As if in answer to my thoughts, the doctor added, “Abi, they will not hesitate to kill everyone with you if you don’t open the box. They have already tried to kill me!”
“You’ve gotta be kidding me, magic! Kill us? Have you gone insane? Kieran, you guard the door while I go see what these jokers are all about,” Blaise said but underneath that bravado, I could see it in his eyes. He was just as scared as any of us.
“But...but...they have ma-magic. And I’m not strong enough to guard the door.” Turning to Hailey, Kieran said, “You go!” Kieran scampered under the table while Hailey went to guard the door.
“Coward!” Blaise hissed as he hastily kissed Taylor and stormed out of the room.
Hailey glowered at Kieran first, then everyone followed suit and also glared at him. He glared back from under the table but he scurried back into his hole as soon as he lost that staring contest. He pushed himself so far under the table you couldn’t tell if anyone was there at all.
“Dr. McGrath, what is going on? I don’t understand what you’re saying. I don’t know how to open the box or I would have done so already and I don’t know who those hooded figures are,” I tried to explain.
The doctor leaned over as her balance faltered. I had to catch her to prevent her from falling. The doctor waved me away and used the backs of the chairs to walk herself towards the couch. She started to shakily tell her story as she limped along.
“I was in my office. They didn’t knock. They just blasted the door down. I thought there was an earthquake until I saw them standing in the middle of the splintered doors. They took me and tied me up on my chair.” Dr. McGrath pulled up her arms to show where the ropes bit into her flesh. I couldn’t help but cringe at the sight of the injured wrists. The other students gasped as well.
The doctor continued, “They picked up the box and started to see if they could open it. They tried everything. They dropped it, hacked into it with a knife, tried chants, everything, but the box remained closed. Then they started on me. They asked if you said anything in your sessions regarding the box. I wouldn’t say anything. Then they started to hit me.” She pulled her hair away from her left eye. My stomach turned when I saw that her eyelid was swollen from her forehead to her left cheek and she had blood-red eyes where she should have white around her iris. The eye was so bruised that she could barely keep it open. The doctor lifted her blouse to reveal a bruised rib cage.
Taylor turned away and started to cry. I didn’t know where or how to start apologizing. “Oh, Dr. McGrath, I am so sorry. I ...” I knew there was nothing I could have said to ease her pain. I choked on my words and I couldn’t finish the sentence. I sincerely wanted to apologize for yet another tragedy I somehow caused. But I couldn’t find the words.
From behind us, there was a scurrying sound. We tried to look but we didn�
��t see anything. Hailey said, “It must have been Kieran. He must have crawled back into his hole after he saw you know what—” She pointed at the doctor’s injuries.
Without any urging, the doctor said, “When they finally realized I didn’t know anything, they trashed the clinic looking for the session recording, files, anything they could get their hands on. I was able to reach a letter opener and cut my ties. I grabbed the box and went straight here.”
I sat down next to her and said, “I don’t know what to say. I just don’t know anything about the box. My parents never told me anything about it.”
“You need to think back! If it’s that important, then they must have,” Taylor said in an accusing tone.
“What would you know?” fired Hailey at Taylor.
The Obsidian Crown of the Lost Dominion Page 5
